1905
Yenangyaung, home to one of the world's oldest oil industries
The photograph, taken in 1905, is of a group of Americans in Yenangyaung getting ready to play baseball, Yenangyaung, 1905. Yenangyaung is home to one of the world's oldest oil industries. The hereditary Twinza-yo of Yenangyaung had produced "earth oil", or petroleum, locally for centuries. In 1853, King Mindon's new government began to export petroleum to India, becoming one of the first countries anywhere to export energy.
In Burma under British rule, the Glasgow-headquartered Burmah Oil Company became the dominant oil company in Burma under British rule. Its subsidiary, Anglo-Persian Oil, later became British Petroleum (known today as BP). At one time, Burmah Oil was one of the biggest multinational companies in the world. In the early 20th century, Burma produced approximately 2% of the world's oil, about the same percentage as Kuwait or the United Arab Emirates today. It was a particularly significant supplier of kerosene to India. All of Burma's oil industry was destroyed during the Japanese invasion in 1942.
Americans, mainly from Texas, came to work the Yenangyaung oil industry as early as 1900, sinking the first modern well in 1904. Some worked for Burmah Oil, others for Standard Oil (an American company, now known as Exxon), and other smaller companies.